Joshua, Whyte rematch ‘close’, says Hearn

Eddie Hearn revealed Anthony Joshua is ‘close’ to coming to terms with Dillian Whyte for their rematch in his next fight. Joshua has been searching for an opponent for his April 13 fight night at Wembley and is in talks with Whyte and American heavyweight Jarrell Miller.

The Miller fight would take place in June in New York, but Hearn conceded Joshua-Whyte could also be moved to a later date. That would mean Joshua would axe his date at Wembley and Hearn explained that even if Whyte accepts AJ’s offer, it may be postponed. ‘It is close, Whyte and AJ are close,’ Hearn told Thaboxingvoice.

‘There is a chance if we don’t go April 13 with AJ-Whyte, we can still do that in May or June in England. The Jarrell Miller fight is an option for June. It’s just a case of weighing up if it’s the right time for AJ to come and make his debut in America. ‘I do think there’s value in doing that, but you can’t really win in this game because people always say Joshua is a homeboy. [When he says] he’ll come to New York and fight this loudmouth in New York, he’s then running from the others.

‘I just think at some point he needs to make that US debut and in the landscape at the moment, this would be an interesting moment. It all comes down to who actually wants it.’

He added: ‘We’re not interested in milking. If we can’t get the fight the UK fights fan, then we’ll come to America.’ The saga over Joshua’s next opponent has raged since October when the three-belt world champion said he wanted to fight the winner of Deontay Wilder v Tyson Fury.

Hearn has been unable to convince Fury and Wilder to fight Joshua, and the heavyweights are expected to stage their rematch in the coming months. Miller’s bid to face Joshua has gathered more and more steam since the start of the New Year and the American said this week he believes he is in pole position to be the next fighter to challenge for the WBA (Super), IBF and WBO belts.